Category: Tablets

It’s Good to Have Options – T710 Tablet Docking Options

Glacier Computer’s new T710 Rugged Tablet Computer is getting a lot of attention, and docking options are an important part of that mix.

Having a tablet computer that is completely sealed from dust and particulates and can withstand a water bombardment of 12.5 liters per minute from a nozzle is great. Having a piece of hardware that can be dropped from 6 feet and still be well within warranty coverage and specifications is even more enticing. And by itself, the T710 has plenty of mobility, features, and I/O to become the managing resource for all of your data collection activities. But what if you want to put it on a cart or a lift, or dock it in a vehicle?

The T710 has two different docking solutions with multiple applications.

The optional Mobile mount a dock gives you the option of putting the tablet wherever you need it. You can dock it in a vehicle, on a forklift, a 4-wheeler, or a golf cart. Fixed mount the system to a wall, at a point of service, or on a production line. If and when you need it more mobile, just remove it and use it like a tablet.

While mounted, the dock provides 4 USB ports, a VGA out, RJ45, twin RS232 ports, and two antenna connections for GPS or other applications. There’s a key lock to keep the T710 secured in the docking station until you need to remove it.

The T710 also comes with an optional desktop dock. This docking station provides 2 additional USB 2.0 ports , HDMI, VGA, and a LAN port, with a DC-jack, and Kensington lock. Combining these accessories would allow you to use the T710 as a desktop computer, a tablet computer, as a mobile mount unit in a vehicle, or in multiple fixed or mobile mount applications, wherever and whenever you needed it.

The T710 is just one of several 7″, 8″, and 10″ rugged tablet solutions available from Glacier Computer to provide you with all the mobility and “rugged” you require for your data delivery and collection needs.

Is The T710 Rugged Tablet The One You’ve Been Waiting For?

Our newest Rugged Tablet could be the mobility solution you’ve been waiting for.

Glacier T710

The T710 rugged tablet is completely sealed from dust and particulates and can withstand a water bombardment of 12.5 liters per minute from a nozzle. Dropping the unit, even from 6 feet, is well within warranty coverage and specifications.

It has a 10.4” touch screen display and all of the processing power and memory requirements necessary for most applications.

The T710 has plenty of I/O to become the managing resource for all of your data collection activities. Equipped with SOTI and Stay-linked you can be in complete control of your T710 fleet. Windows 7 remains our standard OS for the T710.

Download the T710 Data Sheet

Check out the entire line-up of Rugged Mobile tablets.

On-Line Training Options for Aerial Lift Operators

Aerial Work Platforms are great places for using rugged computing power. Wireless data collection when you are elevated above the ground-whether on a fixed, tablet, or hand-held computer--just makes sense. But before you ever set foot on one you’ll want to make sure you are certified and fully understand the best practices that ensure safe operation.

To that end the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) and its US affiliate–American Work Platform Training (AWPT), have developed a successful online training program to help achieve the necessary certification.

Trainees who complete the online session must still pass a supervised theory test at an AWPT-approved training center and must successfully complete a half-day of practical training and testing before being issued with a PAL Card (Powered Access Licensed-Registration) as proof of successfully completed AWPT operator training.

Forklift Action News (free registration required) recently reported on this same program and how NES Rentals Holdings Inc (NES Rentals), a supplier of all kinds of lift equipment, had successfully “trained most of its 1,040 staff members to the level of the Powered Access License (PAL) card.”

“eLearning opens up alternative methods of delivering education and takes the AWPT training program to a new level,” says IPAF president Wayne Lawson. “It provides a new way for training centres to reach greater numbers but does not replace practical training. It enriches the learning process and allows us to bring the safe and effective use of AWPs to a wider public.”

Laser Scanning And Mobile Computing Meet The Construction Industry

The Journal of Commerce reports that Construction and excavation operations are taking advantage of mobile technology and 3D laser scanners to do what used to take hours or days.

“The 3D laser scanner creates thousands of point clouds to take measurements and visualizations,” he said.

“It’s much faster and more accurate than survey crews.”

Buness used a survey rod with a hand-held controller that looks like a rugged outdoor tablet and which contained the survey control points.

“After the scan was created, it was converted into a usable 3D point file, and then it was integrated into the 3D BIM environment,” Buness said.

“Once in the 3D environment, the scan was used to establish the location of the excavation wall faces.”

The ability to take mobile computing power into the field, combined with new imaging technology, will provide better detail analysis for a wide range of applications, at a fraction of what it used to cost to pay survey crews.

What’s In Your Mobile Work-Force?

You’ve heard about it. The global mobile workforce. Well it’s growing.

The number of mobile workers across the globe will reach 1.3 billion by 2015 but research commissioned by ClickSoftware Technologies indicates that companies are not ready to tap this trend.

Forty-six per cent of CIOs surveyed believe current corporate strategy does not deliver on the ‘Mobile Dream.’ However, 74% of CIOs believe mobile customer service is important for the companies.

Mobile is where it‘s at, so much so that many workers use their own devices (BYOD) for work and home. But as observed here, the potential cost savings on equipment can quickly vanish as potential IT/security issues mount with regard to linked devices loaded with software that the employer does not control.

But that’s not the only barrier. The mobile dream cannot be delivered from the retail shelf either.

Part III -Why Does a Rugged Tablet Cost More Than an iPad?

Need another reason why Rugged Tablets cost more than consumer tablets? We’ve got two.

The expectations and needs of the customer define how you are able to manufacture the product, and in the case of Rugged Tablets and the average consumer tablet, the divide is great. In Part III we address how that difference adds to the cost to manufacture.

We also take a quick look at the Cost of ownership, and why one Rugged tablet, even though it may cost as much or more than several commercial tablets, is still a smarter purchase that will save you money in the long run.

PART III: Configurability

Here’s Part I & Part II if you missed them!

Part II -Why Does a Rugged Tablet Cost More Than an iPad?

There is great divide between what a consumer expects from a Tablet PC and what a commercial user demands for the efficiency of their work space. The differences between the two create the kind of engineering challenges that are not limited to how much abuse the thing will tolerate.

In Part II of “Why Does a Rugged Tablet Cost More Than an iPad…”

…engineering plays a pivotal role in the cost difference. Commercial tablet users not only place more physical demands on a computer tablet, but have a long list of technical needs that the average iPad user would ever expect. So we have broken that down for you in just a few minutes.

Check it out.

Part II: Engineering

(Did you miss part I – Here is is!)

Stay tuned for part III

Why Does a Rugged Tablet Cost More Than an iPad?

Why do rugged tablets cost so much more than what you might purchase from Apple or Best Buy?

We talk to customers every day who ask the same question. They want to use tablets in their factories, warehouses, or delivery vans, but struggle with the reasoning behind the increased cost of ruggedization.

You might think this is a no brainer, because an iPad doesn’t look anything like a rugged tablet, but companies still need to justify their return on investment (ROI) when asked to spend three, four, even five times as much for the features and reliability they’ll expect from a rugged form factor, when retail stores sell consumer grade tablets for a fraction of that price. Keep reading to learn why a rugged tablet costs more than an iPad tablet.

To help you see why ‘Rugged’ costs more…

…we have written a three-part article to help you understand the factors we see that affect price. Take a few minutes to review it and please give us your thoughts.

PART I – Manufacturing Volume

We will post Parts 2 and 3 in the upcoming weeks